Uncertainty is Dominating Global Trade and Crypto Market is Feeling the Heat

TheNewsCryptoPublished on 2026-02-24Last updated on 2026-02-24

Abstract

The US Supreme Court's decision to strike down tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump has heightened uncertainty in global trade, with experts noting a lack of clarity in future trade dynamics. This uncertainty is mirrored in the crypto market, where bearish sentiment prevails. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has dropped to 11, and the total market capitalization fell 3.37% to $2.18 trillion, with significant liquidations recorded. Bitcoin and Ethereum have both declined over the past week, trading at $63,187.61 and $1,828.01, respectively. Additionally, both Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs experienced outflows, reflecting broader market caution. The overall sentiment remains tense as traders monitor ongoing developments.

The US Supreme Court striking down tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump has brought many sentiments, uncertainty is one of them, especially for global trade. Experts believe that there is still no clarity about what will happen in the future across the global trade spectrum. Meanwhile, the crypto market is on the edge, feeling the heat in the form of a lower FGI and higher volatility.

Uncertainty Across the Trading Sphere

The Federal Reserve has reportedly expressed concerns about elevated inflation, but that’s only one part of it. Ray Attrill, Head of Currency Strategy at National Australia Bank, appeared on a NAB podcast and stated that they were back in a very uncertain environment with little to no idea about the future trade landscape.

Donald Trump has, for now, raised the tariff from 10% to 15%. His administration is looking into national security tariffs on select industries. This includes plastic piping, industrial chemicals, and large-scale batteries, among many others.

Uncertainty looms over countries irrespective of a deal they reached and/or signed with the US earlier. For instance, the European Parliament has postponed its voting session on the trade deal with the US.

Bears in Crypto Market

Bearish sentiment is more than evident in the crypto market, with the FGI slipping down to 11 points. There is also a notable drop of 3.37% in the collective market cap, which now stands at $2.18 trillion. Almost $375.45 million worth of liquidations have been executed in a single day to this moment.

A lot of attention is on BTC, the flagship cryptocurrency. It has shed 3.95% over the last 24 hours and 7.37% in the last 7 days. Bitcoin tokens are being traded at $63,187.61 when the article is being drafted. Even ETH has lost 7.51% of its value in the last 7 days to drop to $1,828.01.

ETF Flows

Uncertainty has possibly also spread across both ETFs – Spot Bitcoin ETF and Spot Ethereum ETF. The former noted an outward movement of $203.8 million on February 23, 2026 while the latter recorded an outflow of $49.5 million on the same day.

It is a potential streak of outflows for BTC ETF and an extension for Ether ETF. Simply put, global trade and every possible aspect of the crypto market are watching what happens next as uncertainty persists.

Highlighted Crypto News Today:

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Slides 10% and Enters Danger Territory: Is a Crash Below $400 Brewing?

TagsCrypto Market

Related Questions

QWhat is the main theme of the article regarding global trade and the crypto market?

AThe main theme is that uncertainty is impacting global trade, and this uncertainty is also affecting the crypto market, leading to bearish sentiment, lower Fear and Greed Index (FGI) scores, and increased volatility.

QAccording to the article, what action did the US Supreme Court take regarding tariffs, and what was one significant consequence?

AThe US Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which has contributed to increased uncertainty in global trade.

QHow has the bearish sentiment in the crypto market been quantified in the article?

AThe bearish sentiment is evidenced by the FGI dropping to 11 points, a 3.37% decrease in the total market cap to $2.18 trillion, and $375.45 million in liquidations in a single day.

QWhat were the specific outflows for Spot Bitcoin ETF and Spot Ethereum ETF on February 23, 2026, as mentioned in the article?

AThe Spot Bitcoin ETF had an outflow of $203.8 million, and the Spot Ethereum ETF had an outflow of $49.5 million on that day.

QWhich specific industries is the Trump administration reportedly looking into for national security tariffs?

AThe administration is looking into national security tariffs on industries including plastic piping, industrial chemicals, and large-scale batteries, among others.

Related Reads

Where the AI Bubble Really Is: Which Layer of Players Are Naked

AI Bubble: Where It Really Is and Who's Swimming Naked This analysis dissects the AI industry not as a single entity but as a five-layer pyramid, arguing that bubbles are concentrated in specific tiers, not uniformly distributed. **Key Distinction from the 2000 Dot-com Bubble:** Unlike 2000, where companies had stock prices before revenue, today's leading AI players have massive, contract-backed revenue driving their valuations. Core infrastructure demand is real, with every GPU running at full capacity for paying customers. **The Five-Layer Pyramid & Bubble Assessment:** * **L0 (Fab/Manufacturing) & Top L4 (Leading AI Apps): NO BUBBLE.** Companies like TSMC, NVIDIA, major cloud providers (Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon), and top AI labs have real revenues and orders. Supply is tightly constrained by TSMC's disciplined capacity control and physical limits like power/land for data centers, preventing a supply glut. * **L1 (Memory): BATTLEGROUND.** Sky-high HBM margins could signal a new structural cycle or a classic "boom before bust." The oligopoly of three major players may enforce supply discipline, making this a high-stakes bet. * **L2 (Interconnect/Optical Modules): BUBBLE TERRITORY.** Companies like Lumentum and AAOI have seen stock surges (4-10x) far outpacing revenue growth. This hardware segment has lower physical barriers to expansion than fabs, allowing speculation. It mirrors the 2000 bubble's epicenter—optics. * **L3 (Infrastructure/"GPU Landlords"): VULNERABLE.** GPU leasing companies profit from the current compute shortage but own no long-term moat. Their business model relies on a temporary bottleneck that will ease as big tech expands and new tech (e.g., potential space-based data centers) emerges. * **L4 Long Tail (VC-backed Startups): STRONG BUBBLE SIGNALS.** VC funding concentration in AI is twice that of the 1999 peak. Many startups with little revenue use the valuation logic of successful giants to justify their own, creating high risk of a "valuation crunch" when funding dries up. **Critical Risks to Monitor:** 1. **GPU Depreciation & Accounting:** Companies extending the assumed useful life of GPUs artificially boost profits. The true economic life depends on future generational leaps from NVIDIA. 2. **"GPU Credit" & Off-Balance-Sheet Leverage:** Emerging structures where shell companies borrow to buy GPUs and lease them out (with chipmakers sometimes investing) move debt off major balance sheets. This echoes the "vendor financing" of 2000 and the securitization risks of 2008, though currently small-scale. 3. **TSMC Abandoning Caution:** If the primary supply bottleneck (TSMC's conservative capacity planning) breaks, runaway supply could trigger a bust. 4. **Algorithmic Efficiency Breakthrough:** A major leap in software efficiency could drastically reduce the need for raw compute hardware, undermining the investment thesis. **Conclusion:** The AI boom is expensive and has frothy areas, but its core is underpinned by real demand and physical supply constraints. The bubble risk is layered: most present in optical components, GPU leasing, and the long-tail startup ecosystem, while the foundational chip manufacturing and leading application layers remain relatively solid—for now.

marsbit13m ago

Where the AI Bubble Really Is: Which Layer of Players Are Naked

marsbit13m ago

Standing in the Light: A Comprehensive Guide to the Optical Module and CPO Supply Chain

"Standing in the Light: Understanding the Optical Module and CPO Industry Chain" This article analyzes the critical role of optical communication technology, specifically optical modules and Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), as the "nervous system" for modern AI data centers. With exponential growth in AI computational demands (e.g., NVIDIA's Vera Rubin architecture), traditional electrical interconnects using copper cables face severe bottlenecks in bandwidth, power consumption, and signal integrity over distance. The core function of an optical module is to act as a "translator," converting electrical signals from chips into optical signals for transmission over fiber (and vice-versa). Key internal components include lasers, modulators, photodetectors, drivers, and DSP chips. The industry is currently transitioning from 800G to 1.6T modules. However, the future lies in CPO. This next-generation technology integrates the optical engine directly with the switch ASIC/XPU on the same package substrate, drastically reducing power consumption (by ~3.5x according to NVIDIA), overcoming bandwidth density limits, and minimizing signal attenuation compared to traditional pluggable modules. Key challenges for CPO include advanced packaging capacity (dominated by TSMC), thermal management, repairability, and standardization. The article details the broader technology landscape, including Near-Packaged Optics (NPO, a pragmatic intermediate step), Linear-drive Pluggable Optics (LPO), Optical I/O (OIO for chip-level integration), and Optical Circuit Switches (OCS). A comprehensive CPO industry chain is mapped, highlighting shifting power dynamics: * **Architecture Definers:** NVIDIA, Broadcom, and Marvell now hold greater influence. * **Advanced Packaging & Manufacturing:** TSMC is central; Fabrinet is a key EMS player. * **Lasers ("The Heart"):** A strategic bottleneck. EML lasers are led by Lumentum and Coherent (both receiving major NVIDIA investments). CW lasers, favored for CPO/silicon photonics, see strong Chinese players like Source Photonics and Sicoya. * **Silicon Photonics Chips:** The mainstream path for CPO engines, with key players like Broadcom, Intel, Marvell, and China's Accelink. * **Fiber Connectivity Components:** A major new, high-growth market created by CPO, including Fiber Array Units (FAU), Polarization-Maintaining Fiber (PMF), and MPO connectors. Companies like Tianfu Communication and US Conec are leaders. * **Fiber & Cable:** Experiencing a super-cycle (e.g., Corning, Yangtze Optical Fiber). * **PCB/Substrates:** Requiring advanced materials (e.g., Shengyi Tech). * **DSP & SerDes:** Functions are integrated into switch ASICs in the CPO era (e.g., Broadcom, Astera Labs). * **Optical Module Makers:** Transitioning from standalone module suppliers to providers of optical engines and NPO/LPO solutions while riding the current pluggable boom (e.g., Zhongji Innolight, Eoptolink). The investment timeline is segmented: Short-term (2026-2027) features the "last feast" for pluggable modules and CPO's initial rollout. Medium-term (2027-2029) will see CPO expand and NPO peak. Long-term (2029-2032+) involves CPO/OIO penetration into intra-rack scaling. In conclusion, optical interconnects are fundamental to AI infrastructure. The competitive landscape sees US firms leading in architecture and high-end chips, TSMC in advanced packaging, and Chinese firms holding strong positions in modules, connectivity components, CW lasers, and fiber/cable. The future belongs to companies that can navigate the technological shift from "selling shovels" (modules) to "building highways" (CPO/OIO infrastructure).

marsbit23m ago

Standing in the Light: A Comprehensive Guide to the Optical Module and CPO Supply Chain

marsbit23m ago

Trading

Spot
Futures
活动图片